Beyond Fullmetal: To Change the World
by Silverleaf2157
Summary: A year after the Promised Day, a new monarchy takes over. With the coming of this new Monarchy, comes great change for the worse. Any and all Alchemists are banished to small ghettos along the border of Amestris. Twenty years have passed sense theh, and Pace Mustang is on a mission, a mission to find out just why her people have been banished, with a little help from Terrin Elric.
1. Chapter 1

**{Hey! Silv here! And I know you all are thinking, WHAT? Another new story? Really?! But worry not, my lovely readers, this story is actually NOT my own story! I'm just posting this for a friend outside of FF, and this is purely her idea, and writing. I'm just the co-authoress/Beta , so anything you see in these "{ }" Will be me! The rest is purely Saki-Chan }**

**Hi! Saki-chan here! This is my first posted story, so please be good to me! **

**I don't own Fullmetal Alchemest!**

* * *

Different

I'm different, a "freak of nature", or so they call me. 'They' being the humans who persecute me and my people.

It doesn't make sense. I was born just as they were; yet, they treat me like an alien. Something they don't like, just because I don't look or act like them, because I'm not 'normal'.

* * *

The wind whips my light curls into my face, making my golden eyes water. The humans are gaining on me as I jet down the road, their voices raised and fists punching the sky. Cars honk at me, their drivers irritated by the obstruction of their path. I take a sharp and sudden left turn into an alley and squat behind a dumpster.

Why am I here? Sitting among the rotting food and rat poop? Oh, that's right, I have naïve ideals, I want to change the world. I lost Terrin a while ago, so now I'm along, and terrified.

This is going to be a lot harder than I thought…

* * *

I grew up in the faraway town of Pisu, at the outskirts of Amestris's Eastern Territory almost in the desert area. It's a small town with maybe one-hundred people just like me; blond with golden eyes and pale skin. Each of us have a power greater than any normal human being. We're alchemists, or people who can control or make things out of a certain element. We're all different, yet we're all the same.

There are other towns like this one, little outlawed towns, each filled with their own alchemists. Yume, Hopu, Kikai, and Henko. All these towns are set apart from the rest of humanity. The government lost use of alchemists when Edward Elric and his brother, Alphonse Elric, defeated King Bradley.

Now we're just abominations to the human kind, a threat they government has to keep a watchful eye on. They fear us.

My name is Pace, pronounced 'Pachay', it means 'peace' in Creta. I'm a seventeen year-old girl who loves music and wants to change the world.

And I believed I could do exactly that

As I grew up, my father put me through martial arts, and I loved it! My Master would tell me to "concentrate all your thoughts upon the task at hand. The sun doesn't burn until brought to a focus." It took me years to understand what he meant, and I'm still not quite sure what he meant. My Master always encouraged me to live by the five basic laws of life, or at least what the alchemists believed to be life's laws. Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control, and Indomitable Spirit. I put my heart and soul into my martial art training

My parents, Roy and Riza Mustang, have long since given up on rejoining society. They've been separated for about twenty years now. When the new Overlord threw the alchemists into little rinky-dink towns they lost their hope for the world.

But I believe we can change the world.

* * *

The teacher, Mr. Elric, rambles on and on about public relations, but I'm only partially paying attention. He's a cool teacher, fairly relaxed and laid back, but sometimes I don't believe his heart is here. Like he doesn't feel like being here. Mr. Elric's looks more like a scholar than a teacher. With his thin framed glasses and scruffy short beard. His long hair is pulled back into a pony tail, leaving the shorter pieces to hang in his face. His shoulders are broad, giving him a strong appearance, but he still doesn't look quite like he belongs in a classroom.

Earlier today he was giving us a history lesson, that he abruptly cut off. "There was once a time in which humans and alchemists lived together peacefully. We went to school together, feel in love with each other…" Here Mr. Elric stopped talking. His golden eyes were so full of pain, that it lead me to believe he'd fallen in love with a beautiful young woman in his past. And when the war ended he was forced away…he never to see her again.

It's a sad thought, a doomed love right from the start. Yet, through our sorrows, I can't help thinking how much I wanted to see what it's like outside of my little town.

* * *

Soon class ends and as people rush out the door I stay in my seat. I want to ask Mr. Elric what he knows about the past twenty-five years or so.

"What's wrong, Pace?" Mr. Elric asks, as he nudges the thin framed glasses up higher onto his nose.

"Well, sir, could you tell me more about the years leading to and after Edward defeated King Bradley?" I ask, standing and moving closer to the front of the classroom.

Mr. Elric's eyes widen in shock, maybe even fear, before being replaced by a thoughtful expression. His eyes flicker from me, to the door, and down to his desk. Clearly debating if I was worthy for the tale.

He'd been thinking for a couple minutes before whispering," I'll tell you my tale."

"Why are you whispering?" I asked him.

He stood quickly and closed the door to the classroom door," What I'm about to tell you will NOT go beyond this door. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," I whispered, realizing this must be far more serious than I thought.

"I'm only telling you because your father is Roy Mustang," Mr. Elric says.

"What?" I almost shouted," You know my father? How?"

"Do I know your father? Of course I know your father! He's in all the history books, we worked together…that bastard Colonel" He paused a moment before going real quiet, "And, I'm– …I'm Edward Elric."

Shock? Surprise? Disbelief? I don't know what I felt, but I couldn't speak. My teacher…is the famous Edward Elric? The one who defeated the homunculous, Wrath! Unbelievable! Somehow I couldn't imagine that Edward Elric would become a teacher. A teacher like Mr. Elric, no less, always laid back, and looking more like a scholar, not a fire headed fighter.

Mr. Elric sat down again and pulled the collar of his shirt just over his shoulder. A thick scar about an inch and a half wide wrapped around his broad shoulder. The scar that marked where his automail arm had once been before he got his real arm back. After rolling his sleeve down, he lifted the edge of his pants to his knee, showing his automail leg.

He smiled slightly at my surprise.

"Not a lot of people know I'm Edward Elric. Most think I'm Evan Elric, with no relation to Edward or Alphonse. But now you know my secret."

"Why do you wanna keep that a secret?" I asked," Don't you want people to know who you are?"

"No, not particularly. Most people blame me for this," he said, gesturing to our surroundings.

He's right of course. In our little town there was no electricity and we were lucky to have running water. A lot of Pisu's residents had lived in luxury before Edward killed King Bradley. And for about a year after Bradley was defeated the alchemists and humans fought for the right to rule.

Naturally, it seemed wrong for an alchemist to rule since we wielded so much power to begin with. And since the humans outnumbered us, a human was voted into office. Two months later, all alchemists were sent to remote towns or killed for resisting.

"What happened when you were forced to leave?"

"A lot happened that day," Mr. Elric mused, before launching into his tale" I woke up and it was just like every other day. Winry had been up for about an hour and we went through our usual morning routine. However, around ten in the morning soldiers in new, crisp, green uniforms knocked on our door...

* * *

_"How may I help you?" Ed asked, eyeing the stone faced soldier, who glared right back._

_"By orders of President Maliki James, all alchemists are to be evacuated to their designated relocation towns, or be executed at any sign of resistance." The soldier spoke clearly, presenting a yellow packet, containing information papers. Ed hesitated a moment, before nodding and grabbing the folder, shutting the door. _

_As he tuned to go back to the kitchen, Ed was shocked to see Winry behind him, staring with a wide-eyed look. She slowly fell to her knees, as Ed rushed over to her, kneeling down to rest her head in his lap. _

_Her body shook, as her tears soaked his pants, "So– so close, to the wedding…" she sobbed, clutching his hand tightly. _

_Ed nodded soberly, he had proposed to her last year, and they had just been finishing the last few plans for their wedding, which was two weeks away._

* * *

Mr. Elric paused. His voice was shaky and his eyes watery. This was a very emotional story for him. It even had me tearing up.

As he continued Mr. Elric struggled to control his emotions," I couldn't bear the thought of leaving my soon to be wife and the life we'd built, but, I couldn't die either…that'd be much worse. So I packed my belongings, ready to leave when the order was given. Not long after I had finished packing, there was a second knock on the door, and I thought for sure it was those soldiers telling me I had to leave. But it wasn't, and instead I opened the door to find your mother and father."

I frowned. My father is blind, and was then too. Granted, he wasn't completely helpless, but he still relied on me to guide him outside of our little house.

Mr. Elric chuckled," You're father shoved his way into my house, cursing like you wouldn't believe, and ran smack into a wall. Even Riza was laughing, given the situation. We sat down in my living room, your father was still fuming, your mother glaring at the carpet, and Winry trying not to cry."

* * *

_"This is such bullshit!" Roy yelled, enraged._

_ "All alchemists are to leave to their designated relocation towns…" Winry whispered from her spot next to Ed._

_ "Clearly our new government can't be trusted…" Ed muttered quietly, before he suddenly got louder, "Riza! When Roy and I leave, will you please protect Winry for me?"_

_ "Ed…that's not –" Winry had started, but he cut her off, staring into her eyes, in a pleading way._

_ "Please…" he whispered, tears welling in his golden eyes._

_ Riza could see his concern and desperation, "I will."_

_ This caused Roy to burst out, "I can't just leave and never see Riza again! Or…well…you know what I mean!" _

_ "We can find a place to meet each other…" Ed suggested, a familiar fire lighting in his eyes._

_ "Where's your new town?" Winry asked. "Are you two even in the same one?"_

_ Ed blinked, clearly not having not thought about that, he pulled out the packet the soldiers had handed him, "I'm in a town called Pisu, in the Eastern section of Amestris, just outside of the desert."_

_ Risa pulled out a similar folder, "Ok, it looks like Roy's in the same town. Good…Let's meet in the closest minor town to the desert then,' Riza thought aloud._

_ Roy nodded, "It's decided then, we'll meet every year for a week in that minor town."_

_ As the time came closer for Roy and Ed to leave, everyone became more and more irritable and angry. Roy and Riza had constant silent glares, while Ed and Winry could be found pacing around the room._

_ The day they were supposed to leave found Roy and Riza at the Elric's house again. Ed punched the wall, "It's just not fair, damn it!"_

_ As Winry managed to calm Ed down enough, the door rattled as someone knocked upon it and everyone froze, looking up at the door. Ed opened it the soldiers everyone anticipated were there._

_ "It's time to leave," The same stone faced soldier from before announced._

_ Ed nodded, gritting his teeth, " Just give us a minute to say good-bye."_

_ They didn't say anything, so Ed closed the door again, growling softly when he heard that they didn't leave._

_ Winry gave Ed one look, before bursting into angry tears, and sprinting into his arms, Riza held Roy in an embrace so strong Ed knew he couldn't breathe._

_Ed gently pushed away Winry's bangs and kissed her forehead gently before moving down to her lips. She held onto his shirt desperately until Ed gently pulled away._

_ Riza handed Roy his suitcase and walking stick, leading him over to where Ed and Winry stood. They exchanged hugs for what felt like would be the last time._

_"Promise me you'll keep Roy safe, and I'll protect Winry," Riza whispered into Ed's ear as she hugged him tight._

_ "I promise," Ed nodded, before grabbing his suitcase and hugging Winry one last time. _

_Before leaving, Ed handed her his old State Alchemist Pocket Watch, making sure the alchemy seal was broken so she could open it._

_ Tears rolled down her cheeks as she opened and closed the pocket watch and Roy opened the door, showing the soldiers who still stood on the porch. _

_As Ed made sure that Roy, who had their house memorized, made it down the stairs ok, Ed gazed back one more time, at his house, and Winry and Riza. _

_"Why I am always so weak when people need me most…' Roy whispered next to him as a lone tear streaked down his cheek, but Ed pretended that he didn't hear him_

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**Any and all criticism will be welcome! {and any Flames will go to feed our fireplace!}**

**{And please, REWIEW~}**

**Edited 2:16:14 **


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok! Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this! And thanks to everyone who decided to continue reading! ^-^ a special thanks to everyone who faved and followed!**

**Alright! So I'll be responding to any reviews! **

**Wolfishmoon: ****Wow! Thanks for your amazing review! { Silv here! So I have one thing that I think is a bit confusing with your idea. (Don't get me wrong, I was absolutely bouncing off the walls, when I read your review, it's one of my first ****_actually well thought out_**** reviews.) But again, if we are basing it off of the Brotherhood, when Ed talks to Truth, after the final battle, and he gives up his Alchemy, Truth asks him "Will you degrade yourself to an ordinary person, unable to use alchemy?" (FMA manga pg 46 ch 108)'. This makes me believe that not everyone has a gate, and that only select people have gates, and are able to survive without one. Or, I could just be overthinking this, and you're right….but I think we're basing this off of that thought}**

* * *

I walked home in a daze along the dirt road, head down, and hoped people wouldn't run into me. Most shops have closed down for the day, their owner's home with their families. The few stragglers who do mingle in the roads are mostly drunks and those who are homeless. Mr. Elric's story replays in my mind. What made Maliki think alchemists were bad enough to be pushed to the very edges of society? What made us such a threat?

Mr. Elric said my father had asked why he's so weak when people needed him. I wish I could answer that, but the truth is, he's not weak; in fact, he's far from it. Even though he's blind, he doesn't act like it. He rarely uses his walking stick, he's stronger than most people I know, and he saved everyone from becoming a Philosophers Stone. He's is also the most stubborn person I know.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts with a soft sigh and looked up, and to my surprise someone reading a book slams into me. He falls forward, right on top of me as I fall backwards. I tried to catch myself, but my hands slid across the rough dirt as we fall toward the ground together. My breath leaves in a sudden _whoosh_ of air, and I'm left gasping

After a moment of lying there in a daze, he scrambled off of me, muttering," Oh no…I'm sorry…" as he tries to find his book.

I pulled myself up into a sitting position and took a good look at my assaulter for the first time. My jaw drops. He looked exactly like Mr. Elric, only without the scraggy beard. Same face, eyes, body build, and even his hair is pulled back in the same way.

"What?" he asked, his golden eyes catching the setting sun, a confused expression gracing his handsome features, "Is there something on my face?"

I was so shocked and he looked so funny trying to see his own face that I couldn't help but laugh.

After a moment of surprise, he also started to chuckle slightly and stood up, reaching down to give me a hand. I hesitated slightly, not really wanting him to know my hands were bloody, but took his hand anyway.

"I'm Terrin Elric, but you can call me Rin." He said as he pulled me to my feet. "I'm Pace Mustang, nice to meet you." I replied, before tilting my head slightly. "You're Edward Elric's son, right?"

His eyes squint for a moment, before he smirked at me," Why yes, yes I am."

I winced as his grip tightened as he shook my hand," So if you know I'm _Edward_'s son my father must have told you his real identity, correct?"

"Yes," I said, trying to hide my pain as well as I could, holding back a wince at his firm, yet gentle grip.

When he took his hand away I could see the blood, my blood, on his hand. Rin noticed my gaze and looked at his hand, his eyes widening at the sight, before taking mine back.

"Man! I'm so sorry! This is all my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going." He gasped, as he gently probed at the scrapes.

I winced at the gentle pressure, causing him to glance up at my face in an apology, "It's not all your fault thought, I wasn't looking where I was going either."

He hesitates a moment before looking around, confirming there was no one walking down the street, before gently leading me into a nearby alley. He kneels on the ground and motions for me to follow.

"Put your hands on the ground," Rin told me.

Curious as to what he was going to do, I put my hands on the ground. His eyes focus, he takes a deep breath, and claps his hands, before pushing them into the ground next to my own. A blinding light came from our hands and I could feel the pain in my hands easing. He was healing my hands!

After the light fades I lifted my hands off the dirt and look at them intently. There was no sign I had ever cut my hands. "That's Eastern Alchemy, from Xing, right?"

"Yes. My father taught me how to do it," Rin smirked at me.

"That…is amazing." I said, allowing a bit of aw to slip onto my face.

"I suppose you could say that," he said, before asking, "So your father is Roy Mustang, right?"

"Yeah

"And you inherited his flame alchemy, right?"

"Yeah," I sighed.

"Why does it sound like you're sad or annoyed about that?" He tilted his head, his golden bangs falling across his face…cutely.

My Master's words replay in my mind_, 'Fire is destructions, but it's also life. Without the alchemist the earth will not bend itself! But fire…fire is alive, it breathes and spreads. You must be able to control yourself, to control the flamed.'_

I sighed again," Fire is dangerous."

"Yes, but it's also life, Pace. If you're freezing and wet, you could make a fire to warm yourself again!" he argued, looking both determined and surprised.

"I guess…" I said, still not convinced myself.

After a slightly awkward moment, Rin rubs the back of his neck, "Well, should I walk you home? I still feel really bad about knocking you down

"I actually don't live too far from here, but if you really want to walk me home, you can."

Rin nodded, grinning crookedly, "I think I'll walk you home."

With that said, we turned to continue to walking, slipping out of the alley.

As we walked down the rough dirt street, a thick, awkward silence filled the air, as both of us thought about the other.

"Well…This is home," I told him, gesturing to the small building.

"Alrigh then," Rins says awkwardly as we stood outside the rickety gate.

"Thanks for walking me home," I smiled at him. "I guess we'll be seeing each other around."

After a moment of silence, where I looked over to find Rin staring into space, only to jump slightly and glance at me, "R-right, see each other around…Yeah…Bye…"

I watched as he turned to continue walking down the road, waving back at me, before opening the gate and heading inside.

The house is small, but it's perfect for me and my dad. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and an even smaller living room. It's good for my dad. Because he's blind it makes it hard to maneuver in large places without help, but in this small house there's not much to memorize. He can move around easily and doesn't have to go up and down stairs.

I walk in and set down my bag, moving around the worn-out couch to go to my bedroom.

"What took you so long to come home?" My dad's voice came out of nowhere as he showed up behind me.

"I was talking to Mr. Elric," I gasped, turning around to look at him. Sometimes my dad was so quiet I can't hear him when he's behind me.

"About what?" He asked, coming a little closer to me.

"You should know the answer to that…" I whispered," Why didn't you tell me, dad?"

He seemed to shrink a little," I didn't think you needed to know."

"Dad!" I groaned, "I've learned about you in the history books! But…I want to know more that. Like, what made you blind? What happened? I want to know the details."

"Damn it, Fullmetal!" My father growled, turning his head slightly to the side.

"Dad, don't blame this on Ed, it's your fault too." I glared at him, although I knew it was wasted.

"Pace, stop." He sighed," Why do you need to know?"

I rolled my eyes and shouted," Because I want to know how the world became so messed up!"

"Telling you my woes won't help with that, Pace," Dad was gritting his teeth, his eyebrows crumpling.

"You don't know that!" I practically yelled at him.

My father stumbled back, as if I had physically struck out at him. I've never yelled at him before. His gray-streaked black hair falls into his unseeing eyes, and he looks tired and depressed, with rather large bags circling his dark eyes. He walked slowly to the living room and sits on the woven chair we had, and placed his head in his hands.

I felt bad for yelling at him, but I was sick of him shielding me.

"Pace…" my dad sighed," come here…"

I walk over to where he sits, but I couldn't look at him. I kneelt down in front of him, as he takes his hands away from his face and holds them out, waiting for me to give him mine. We do this when we have a serious conversation so that we know we're listening to each other. I gently grasp his hands in mine, lightly tracing my fingers over his callouses, and the large white scars that went through both his palms. His hands were slightly rough, but still soft, and so much bigger than mine. They held so much more knowledge, and experience.

"Do you really wanna know my reason for not telling you my past?" he spoke softly, his hands gently grasping my own.

I noded, before realizing he couldn't see me, and whispered, "Yes."

"I didn't want you to know the man I used to be." His eyes flashed slightly, hints of untold horrors glinting in the silvery irises.

"Daddy, who you are now means more to me, than who you used to be," I could feel tears pooling behind my eyes, as I squeezed his hands tightly.

My father got down onto his knees in front of me, smiled, and wraped me in a hug.

"I love you, baby girl," he whispered, as I nuzzled my head into his neck and chest.

"I love you too, daddy."

* * *

**Yay! Chapter two is done! So things should be picking up from here, hopfully. **

**Also, I'm taking a page out of Silv-chan's book, and making a quote challenge! At the end of every chapter, I'll be putting a quote from an Anime or book {if it's something else we'll tell you}. and who ever can guess right, gets a shout out at the beginning of the chapter! And whoever has the most shout outs by the end of the story gets a special prize! {And please, don't cheat and use google or anything like that}**

**Here we go! **

**"If you hesitate it can be fatal, just like chess"**

**Please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Alight! Chapter 3! Sorry it's taken us so long for us to get this up…_someone *looks pointedly at Silv* _has been taking forever to get her part of the editing done {Hey! I can't help that I've been busy! And sick!} too bad! XD **

**Any way~ Thanks for anyone who's been taking the time out of their day to read this!**

**I don't own FMA!**

* * *

The next morning my dad sent me off to school with a smile.

The day passed uneventfully, for the most part. After what Mr. Elric told me yesterday, everything else seemed to pale in comparison.

Soon, I was in history, and this class, like all the others, passed uneventfully. As I was walking out of the classroom, called me over.

"Yes, sir?" I asked, thinking he'd want to talk about what he'd said yesterday.

"How would you like to meet my son and brother today?" He asked, shuffling a stack of our papers.

"Sir, I met your son yesterday…and what about my father?" I responded, not sure if he'd contacted my father about not coming home after school.

"So he told me….he's quiet fond of you," He muttered, squinting at me like I was a mystery," and don't worry about you dad, he already knows."

"I guess, if my dad already knows it'd be okay…" I said slowly.

Mr. Elric smiled," Great! Then it's decided, you'll stay over for dinner."

Mr. Elric was so excited I had agreed to go with him that he grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the school.

It's strange.

Yesterday he had been so serious, but today he's like a giddy child. When we'd left the school building Mr. Elric let go of my wrists and kept the crazy fast pace. As I jogged slightly to keep up, I wondered what Alphonse would be like, and what kind of person he'd become since he'd gotten his body back.

Within five minutes we had reached Mr. Elric's house. He had told me it was a two story building with a basement, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and I can't guess how many candles to light the whole house after dark. It was gigantic compared to the humble home my dad and I shared.

However, when I walked into the door I could see their struggle. Even though their house was nice on the outside, the internal structure suffered. The stairs were shaky and felt unstable, the walls were peeling, and the whole thing creaked and moaned.

Mr. Elric led the way up a set of stairs to where the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room were. At the top I could see Alphonse and Terrin sitting on a couch arguing about equivalent exchange. Terrin saw me first and smiled, yet Alphones almost seemed angry when he saw me.

"Who is this, brother?" Alphonse asked.

"This is Pace, Mustang's girl." Mr. Elric smirked.

"Pace Mustang, huh?" Alphonse said as he turned to me," So you're the Pace my young Terrin was talking about. Are you really Colonel Mustang's child?"

I stumbled over my words both from embarrassment and fear," Ye-yes, I a-am Mustang's dau-daughter."

"What's your father's condition?" He asked sternly.

I could hear Terrin snicker at his uncle as I responded, feeling like I was being interrogated, "Blind?"

"What did you learn about my dear Terrin yesterday?"

I blushed and panicked,"Ummm…"

"Uncle, stop." Terrin finally cut in, blushing as well.

Alphonse broke into a huge and welcoming smile," I'm just teasing you guys."

I let out a huge breath, but as Terrin got closer to me and leaned in to whisper in my my ear, I held it again.

"Don't worry, he's just kidding, he's actually really nice. You'll see," He said as he walked back to the couch, "Come and sit over here."

I nodded and followed him over to a small, slightly battered couch, slowly sitting down next to Terrin, blushing as his shoulder brushed mine.

Alphonse and Edward sat on a couch in front of Terrin and me. I shifted, slightly uncomfortable since I was sitting with my teacher, his son, and his brother who acted like he hated me.

As time wore on I became more relaxed, more comfortable with Mr. Elric's family, realizing that Alphonse didn't hate me and that he was actually, like Terrin had said, really nice. Al laughed often, but Mr. Elric mostly just chuckled, and Terrin would laugh like Al, only with his father's voice.

-LINE-

Dinner was a slightly runny beef stew, with a fresh loaf of bread, something that I've only had a few times. It was absolutely delicious, and made a mental note to ask if I could bring some home for my dad.

As we ate we talked casually about nothing in particular, it was really nice. Mr. Elric's family was wonderful, and I felt as though I had become part of them, after only a few hours of knowing them.

"So, is there anything you'd like to know, Pace?" Mr. Elric smiled as he twirled his spoon between his fingers.

I looked around at Alphonse and Terrin, they nodded and smiled in encouragement.

I looked down at my bowl, now empty, and crossed my arms, "I– I know that this isn't your story to tell, but…c-could you tell me how my father became blind?"

The table was silent, as Mr. Elric grit his teeth, Alphonse looked down, and Terrin got a sad expression. They all knew why my dad can't see, and I guessed that they had assumed that I had known as well.

"Please…he won't tell me himself." I whispered, looking down at my arms, before looking back up at Mr. Elric.

"He was forced to open the gate…" Mr. Elric whispered, his teeth still clenched.

"Forced to open the gate…as in the gate of Truth?" I ask, mortified.

They all nod and I could feel my shoulders slump, "Forced how?"

Mr. Elric hesitated slightly, looking at his brother for a moment. They nod in some sort of agreement, and he looked down then at me, "Your father refused to tell us as well, it was your mother who finally told us, a few days later.

"You see, Brother and I weren't there when he was forced," Alphones explained, his sad eyes trained on the table cloth. "We had been separated from our group and stuck in this room far below Central, by Pride." I nodded, having read about the homunculus in my dad's old notes.

"From what she remembered, your mother was suffering from a severe cut to the throat, and a Doctor who had played a large part in creating the Philosophers Stones during the Ishiblan War was pressuring Roy to perform human transmutation, in order to save her." Mr. Elric continued from Alphones. "You see, in order for the homunculus to succeed, they needed a fifth sacrifice, and Roy was the best option. Luckily, Riza was able to silently tell him not do it, and buy enough for a group of backup to attack."

Again, Alphones picked up the story, "Luckily, one of our allies, May, was with the backups, and was able to stop the bleeding, saving Riza, but that's when everything got worse."

Ed nodded, "After May was able to save you mother, Wrath, or King Bradly as you know him, arrived, and attacked."

"Before Roy could do anything, Wrath had attacked, both the scientist and Roy," Ed continued after a moment. "He was able to pin him down, by stabbing him through both his hands."

I gasped slightly, a realization passing through my mind, as my dad's scarred hands flashed behind my eyes.

Alphones nodded, "That's how he got the scars on his hands."

"Anyway," Ed started again. "At that time, Salim, or Pride, had arrived, and used his shadows to tie Roy and the scientist into the center of the transmutation circle."

"That's when he was forced to open the gate," Alphones continued, looking down. "And your father payed for seeing the truth with his eyesight."

After a moment of silence, Ed sighed, "After that was when he was taken into the room with us, and the rest is history."

Silence engulfed the table. The kind of silence that rings in your ears, and that holds sorrows. Everyone's eyes are down, staring at their laps. No one moves, no one says anything, we just sat there.

"Why…why couldn't he tell me this himself?" I whispered into my lap.

Terrin grabbed my hand gently," It's probably just hard for him to talk about, Pace. Don't worry about it too much."

Ed and Al nodded in response and after exchanging a glance, quickly said," Let's have desert then! We've been saving this for a while."

Terrin smiled broadly, trying to improve the mood." Oh boy. You're gonna love this, Pace!"

Mr. Elric got up and went to the kitchen and came back with what looked like a brown pie. Of course, I had never had pie or cake or anything, so I wasn't exactly sure what it was.

Terrin's grin seemed to grow with the anticipation, as Alphonse cut into the circular pie, his eyes hungry.

The smell was sweet and I couldn't believe something that was such a color would be so sweet. Ed placed slices of the pie onto plates and passed them out to everyone.

"What is it?" I asked warily, inspecting the plate, feeling slightly stupid for not recognizing it.

"It's chocolate!" Terrin exclaimed, grinning at me. "And don't worry, most people don't know what it, it's so rare."

I nodded, feeling relived that he wasn't blaming me of my ignorance.

As soon as he got his plate, Terrin grabbed his fork and dug in without waiting as Alphonse quickly did the same. I picked up my fork and looked at the sweet scented brown triangle on my plate.

"Don't be afraid of it, it's good! Eat it!" Terrin smirked, already half way done with his slice.

Mr. Elric nodded and promptly placed a forkful into his mouth, a look of pure pleasure falling upon his face as his eyes closed.

I cut into my slice, looked at it for a minute, and placed it warily in my mouth. Instantly a wonderful sweet sensation flooded my taste buds. It was like nothing I'd ever tasted, sweet yet slightly bitter. I caught a glimpse of Terrin as I took a second eager bite, he was smiling.

"How were you able to get this?" I asked, as I continued to dig through the sweet treat.

"We may have bribed the guards…" Ed coughed, grinning as he serving himself another slice.

This caused the rest of us to laugh, the mood having greatly improved.

It wasn't long before I finished my slice and was grinning happily.

"You've never had chocolate before, have you?" Terrin asked, still smiling.

"No, never. It was so good!" I replied.

He beamed at me as he reached out to touch my face, but he stopped about an inch away and retracted his hand again, looking down, his cheeks bright red, "You…you have some chocolate on your face."

My face warmed and I wiped my mouth with a napkin, "Thank you."

Ed and Al stood up, taking our plates and heading to the kitchen. I stared down at the table and fiddled with the edge of my shirt. After a couple minutes it was clear that Al and Ed weren't coming back, as Terrin got antsier with each moment that passed in silence.

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" He finally asked, standing.

"Yes please." I responded, glad for the break in silence.

It was an almost eerie evening. The sun was having its last moments before finally disappearing, there was a slight breeze that rustled the loose objects around the town. Drapes flutter in the wind and shutters rattle lightly. But it was warm and it would have been almost comforting if the wind would stop.

We walked side by side and listened to the sounds of late evening. However, after a while I could tell Terrin had something to say. He was fidgety and agitated. This something was important to him.

"If you have something to say, just spit it out." I told him, not unkindly.

He looked surprised for a moment, then nodded," I was thinking…." He muttered, biting his lip.

"Thinking what?" I asked him, tilting my head to look up at him.

"What if…"He whispered," What if we went to find our mothers and my sister?"

I thought about this a moment. _If we go find our parents I'd be able to find out why the alchemists were separated. And I'd be able to see my mother for the first time…This could actually get me somewhere! Now I just need to convince my father to let me go._

"I'm in," I said, my voice low.

Terrin stopped walking, "Wait…really? You want to go too?"

"Yeah. I mean…I don't even know what my mother looks like. Since my dad can't see and all we don't really have any pictures."

"We'll have to tell out parents what we're doing and where we're going…" Terrin mused, "Tomorrow's Saturday, right? Think your dad would come over then and we could bring it up?"

"Sure, we'll be there," I smiled, a warm feeling blossoming in my chest. Even though we've only known each other for a few days, it felt we we've been friends for a life time.

Terrin grinned and hugged me tightly, "Great!"

I was so surprised I couldn't stop myself from hugging him back. He was so warm against the chill of night and he smelled of the chocolate pie we had just eaten. The sun had long since disappeared from the sky line and the air had cooled considerably.

When our embrace ended, he blushed, looking down, clearly embarrassed," So..I'll uh…I'll see you tomorrow then?" He asked as he rubbed his neck.

"See you tomorrow." I said, smiling as I slipped past the gate and down the road to my house.

As I walked the rest of the way home I thought about what Edward and Alphonse said about my father, and what Terrin suggested we do. _Should I have told him what I plan on doing? _I thought. _No, I'll tell him when we get to Central. _

* * *

**Yay! Done with chapter 3!**

**The story should be picking up after the chapter! (If not after the next) **

**Alright! Quote of the chapter time!**

**"Sanity? Sorry, but I've never had such a bothersome thing from the start"**

**Now, go go go! Review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello my lovely readers! **

**Sorry that this has taken a while, life sucks {For both of us}**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who's taken time out of their day to click this story!**

**I DON'T OWN FMA**

* * *

That night was restless for me. I tossed and turned trying to think of how to convince my dad to let me go to Central with Terrin. He'd be against it, I knew that. I've never gone anywhere outside our little town and for me to go as far as Central.

Shadows shift around my room as clouds cross over the moon. _There's no way my father will let me go._

* * *

Morning came and I had only managed to get about an hour of sleep. As I got up to make breakfast and wash up I found that I was jittery and jumpy.

As the day wore on my father didn't ask me any questions about why I was so high strung, even though I knew he had noticed. He just smiled and went about his Saturday as he usually would. The way he sauntered around worried me even more. _He knows something's up…he'll never let me go…_

Eleven o'clock rolled around and I decided it was late enough to head to Terrin's house. I just had to convince my father to go with me.

"Hey, dad," I said, a slight quiver in my voice.

"Yes dear?" My father asked calmly in return, he was sitting on the couch, a small book with brail writing sitting in his lap.

"Umm…" I stammered," Would you mind going with me to…to—let's just say to town?"

"Of course, Hun." He smiled, marking his place and setting the book down on the small table side where he sat, standing and stretching slightly.

On our walk to Terrin's I held my father's hand to guide him through the streets. Occasionally, he would stumble on cracks or a stray rock in the road, but quickly caught himself. His reactions were amazingly fast, even faster than some people who can see, and it always surprises me.

When we reached Mr. Elric's house my anxiety of telling my father about leaving Pisu peaked. My heart pounded, my hands shook, and my thoughts went buy like the wind. I could barely breathe as I knocked on the door.

"Mustang," Mr. Elric grunted when he opened the door, and I led my dad through the opening, blushing slightly when Terrin stepped into the living room, a tray of drinks balanced in his arms.

"Ed," My dad nodded in the direction of Mr. Elric, as I pulled him gently to the small couch that I had sat on with Terrin the night before. "And Al."

He seemed hardly surprised that I had taken him to the Elric's house.

"Colonel!" Al suddenly appear behind us, from where he was walking down the stairs, almost silent.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Al, I don't have that title anymore," My dad turned his sightless eyes onto him, only a few inches off of meeting Al's eyes.

"Ah, sorry, Roy," Al laughed awkwardly, sitting next to his brother and accepting a cup from Terrin.

My dad nodded, as Terrin came to a stop in front of me, looking hesitant, his eyes flicking between the tray he was holding and my dad, not sure what to do.

I grinned slightly, squeezing my dad's hand slightly before nodding to Terrin, signaling him to hand my father a glass. As he held out the glass, a small pieces of ice clinking slightly, allowing my dad to easily reach out and gasp the glass, much to Terrin's obvious surprise.

I laughed at Terrin's slight gasp. He hesitated once more as he handed me a glass of water. I smiled and Terrin nodded, blushing, and set down the tray, grabbing the last glass for himself and stood at the edge of the coffee table.

"So how have you been Roy?" Al asked, sounding cheerful as ever even though the atmosphere was tense.

"Well enough, though I have no idea how I'd live without Pace." My father responded.

"She's a good girl. Her grades are always good in class." Mr. Elric noted.

Terrin opened his mouth as to say something but quickly closed it again and took a sip of water. He wore dark jeans and a black tank top that showed off his arms and shoulders. Anyone would tell you he was fit just by looking at him, but this was an all-new Terrin. I had never seen him in just jeans and a tank top before…he looked good.

"Oh, and Dad," I said, motioning for Terrin to stand and come over, "This is Terrin, Terrin, my dad."

Standing, my dad held out a hand, which Terrin grasped firmly, "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Likewise," My dad nodded, shaking Terrin's hand, before letting go and sitting back down to next to me, his hand falling to grasp my knee, to make sure he was next to me.

"Does Terrin go to school with Pace?" My father asked, breaking my thoughts.

"Yes and no." Mr. Elric responded," He goes to school, but he's not in my class. They don't let parents teach their own kids in fear that they'd play favorites and potentially curve the grades."

My dad nodded," Understandable."

There was a pause and Terrin quickly jumped in," Pace and I have something to say."

"Oh?" My father said, surprise flashing across his face.

"Go ahead Rin." Mr. Elric said and nodded at us.

I stood up with Terrin and I could feel my face warm. We hesitated before blurting out, at the same time, "We'd like to go to Central!"

A thick silence filled the air after our claim, as I nervously looked between the adults. Both Ed and Al looked shocked, eyes wide, mouths open with pure surprise. Yet, my dad seemed unmoved by this sudden event.

"Why, what's your purpose?" Mr. Elric whispered, shaking out of his shock and crossing his arms.

Terrin looked down at his feet as he shifted from side to side," I just want to see my mother and my sister…"

"And I want to see my mother too," I whispered, looking at my father who was still seemingly unmoved.

Ed narrowed his eyes, "No."

Terrin flinched, and stumbled backwards as though he had been physically hit," Wh-What?"

"You heard me, I said no." Mr. Elric said again, a stubborn and slightly angry tone in his voice," Son, Central is a dangerous place. If…if anything happened to you...I would never forgive myself."

"But, Dad!" Terrin argued.

"Terrin Urey Elric! I said no and that's final!" Mr. Elric shouted as he stood, his golden eyes alight with fire.

"Fine…" Terrin muttered as he bent his head in defeat.

"I don't know…" My father broke in, his arms crossed as he leaned back in his seat, "I think we should let them go."

"Roy! You can't possibly be okay with them leaving!" Alphonse protested.

"Yes, it's dangerous, but just think about what you guys did when you were their age," My father mentioned," Actually, weren't you younger than that when you became a State Alchemist, Edward?"

Mr. Elric nodded, and whispered," Yes, but this isn't about me! They could get caught! What if Maliki hurt them? They'd have the power to do so…"

"Terrin, please take Pace downstairs. I need to speak to your father and uncle." My dad didn't even bother turning his head, his dead gaze pinned on Mr. Elric.

I was taken aback by my father's anger. I've seen him angry, but he radiated furry. His teeth were gritted, his fists clenched as though he were ready to fight.

After a moment, Terrin grabbed me by the hand and pulled me down the stairs to their basement.

"Don't worry," He whispered, closing the door with a soft thud. "we'll still be able to hear them from down here."

"Edward Elric, you know damn well that you were doing much dangerous things when you were seven than just sneaking into Central to see your mother!" I heard my father shout," There is no reason they can't go to find theirs!"

"And what if they get hurt?" Ed shouted back.

"Well that's just a risk that they'll have to take." My father said. "do you really think that they haven't thought of that yet?"

"And if they get captured?" Alphonse whispered, just barely audible to us.

"For God's sake Al! You and Ed have trained Terrin, correct?" My dad paused, waiting for a response, "Then I'm pretty sure he's a wonderful alchemist and I know for sure that my Pace is a fantastic alchemist! They'll be fine!"

"What if they're not? What if they don't come back? What if they die out there?" Both Alphonse and Ed shouted at the same time.

"They won't. They're strong, and if they're anything like us, they'll be stubborn too. They won't let themselves get caught or hurt. They will survive." My father said stubbornly.

At this point, they quieted and we could no longer hear what they were saying.

Terrin fiddled with his thumbs and sat down on the floor, after a moment, I also sat across from him quietly.

"He's never used my full name before…" He whispered, pulling his legs to his chest, and resting his chin on his knees.

He looked genuinely hurt. I felt bad for him.

"I'm sure we just took him by surprise, that's all." I tried to console him, not really knowing what it was like to have my dad mad at me.

"Sure, I guess," He said, looking down at the carpet in front of his feet.

"Terrin, everything will be okay." I told him firmly, realizing that we had both seen a new side of our fathers today.

Terrin sigh and wrapped his arms tighter around his legs for a moment, before relaxing his posture and shifting to sit cross legged. He fixed me with a firm stare, his eyes a molten gold. "Hey Pace, would you mind calling me Rin? I'm not a big fan of Terrin…people only use that when I'm in trouble."

"Yeah, sure," I smiled, trying to make him smile.

"Say it?" He whispered, keeping his gaze on my eyes.

"Te-Rin. Sorry." I whispered, laughing slightly, "It'll take some getting used to."

"Just Rin, okay?"

"Okay, Rin." I said, blushing.

He smiled, but it was a weak smile I could tell his father was still nagging his mind. I wish I could hear what they were saying. I hope my dad convinces Ed and Al to let us go.

Rin pats the floor next to him, a gesture that says he wants me closer to him. I move over slowly, very self-conscious. He laid down and stared up at the ceiling.

"Do you think they'll let us go?" He whispered.

I glanced back at him for a moment, before I lay down with him, "I don't know."

"Seems like your dad was pretty into letting us go…think he could convince my father and uncle to let us go?" He pulled his arms back to pillow his head.

"I think it's possible…" I said, smiling as I thought of my father.

We laid there silently as we listened to our fathers whisper angrily back and forth.

As time stretched, on I thought back to how mad my father had been earlier. It had been a least a year that I've last seen my dad that mad.

* * *

_ "Hey, Gurl, commere, an' lemme see some o' da' bodey"_

_I grit my teeth, backing up slightly as the four intoxicated men swayed closer, their green uniforms crumpled, "No, I don't think I'll do that."_

_I had been walking home from school, and was not too far from the house, when a couple of the guards had backed me into one of the alley ways._

_"Awww ya' ear tha?" the largest guard slurred, drunkenly laughing. "Bitch don' wan' ta guve us a show!"_

_The other guards also laughed, still stumbling forward, causing me to back up again, cursing softly when my back met the brick wall._

_Suddenly the guard on the left lunged forward to land his hand on my shoulder, pushing me up aginst the wall, "Aww, da littl' sluts bein shy! Loos like we' gunna hav' ta start da show by our' selvs."_

_"Pace!" I heard my father call from the end of the alley. "Where are you?!"_

_This finally shook me out of my scared and shocked thoughts, and I lashed out, punching the man in the face as hard as I could. He stumbled back, with a clump of my shirt still clenched in his hand. _

_"Get away from me!" I screamed, quickly punching the guard to the right, moving him away from my escape._

_With a hand on my falling shirt, I darted out of the alley, with the remaining four guards stumbling after me, drunken shouts falling out of their mouths._

_As I broke into the street, I gasped, seeing my father quickly moving toward me, his walking stick held out in front of him, "Pace!"_

_"Daddy!" I yelled, running to him and hugging him tightly, feeling his strong arms wrap around me._

_"Wai!" the guard I had punched yelled angrily, stumbling into the street, his buddies following closely. "we wan' our show! Ya littl' slut!"_

_I tensed, feeling my dad's arms tighten considerably, as he heard this, along with his hand brushing the torn material of my ruined shirt._

_ "Did they?" he whispered quietly, one of his arms moving away from my back._

_I shook my head against his chest, before looking up at his face, as he shifted to put his hands together in a praying position._

_His face was contorted in rage, his blank eyes a molten silver, "where are they? Pace?" I blinked and told him, as he turned me around and started walking back to the house, a snap cutting through the air, followed closely by the familiar found of fire crackling though the air._

* * *

" – ace?" I shook out of my memories at the sound of T–Rin's voice.

"Huh?" I glanced over at him, seeing him looking at me expectantly. I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"I noticed," Rin grinned slightly, before going back to staring at the ceiling. A moment of silence passed again.

"Do you think we could change how people see alchemists?" Rin asked me, almost so quietly I couldn't hear him.

"I hope so," I whispered back," Honestly, that was another reason I wanted to go to Central with you."

"It was my original plan, but I covered it up with our moms." He told me.

"Really?"

"Yeah…but anyways," He muttered," You said you've never seen your mother, right?"

"Yep," I said.

"I think we might have a picture if you want to see it…"

I thought about this a moment. If I saw the picture, would it defeat the purpose of going? Or should I just go in not knowing?

"No thanks," I said, after a moment of serious debate, "I'd rather keep it a surprise. You can tell me when I meet her."

Rin raised his eyebrows, "If you insist."

Not even five minutes after our conversation ended Ed and Al were calling us upstairs. I could feel my chest tighten and I was afraid I might trip going up their stairs. When we reached their little living room my father gave me a nod, a sign that he'd convinced Ed and Al to let us go. I smiled, but could feel just how angry Ed and Al were that my dad had convinced them to let us go.

"We've decided to let you go to Central…" Ed answered out unspoken question with gritted teeth. He still wasn't happy about letting us go. Rin gasped from his place next to me," Really?"

"Yes," Al responded, his arms crossed angrily.

"But before you go, we need to warn you…" My dad followed.

There was a pause before he continued, "Just because you're children, Maliki won't hesitate to kill you. You must stay in the shadows, keep your heads low."

"Rin, you'll have to hide your hair. Pace looks normal enough, but don't make them suspect you," Al added.

"If they think you're dangerous for any reason at all, they will capture you, or kill you on the spot." My dad's face grave.

There was silence after my father's words. We knew he wasn't kidding, but it still seemed terrible that they wouldn't hesitate even if we aren't legal adults yet. I couldn't believe it. But! I didn't have time to think about that now, what's down is done…we're going to Central.

"Alright," Mr. Elric sat down heavily, still looking upset. "There is a supply train that comes in every other week, the only time that they drop part of the electric fence."

"And the only time someone can get out," my dad added, his arms crossed.

"So this will be our way out," Rin said, glancing at me, excitement glittering in his eyes.

Ed nodded, "The next train will be next week, so we will go on with this next week as we normally would, to keep away suspicion."

"This next week will also be when we get things together for you two to leave," Al finished.

* * *

The next week sped by, as we tried our best to live everyday life, but as Saturday came closer and closer, the stress was starting to show for all of us.

In class Mr. Elric was more irritable, handing out detentions left and right, and grading extremely hard. My dad was quiet, and was spending more time in his room, when we were not sitting together on the couch. When I had managed to see Rin, he had a constant tenseness in his shoulders, something I could understand.

Soon, Saturday rolled along, and we were standing in Rin's house.

Ed looked disappointed as Rin and I were ready to leave.

It was tense.

Ed still strongly believed we shouldn't go, but my father still had quite an effect on him. Alphonse grumble quietly to himself before masking his discontent with a sad smile.

My dad gabbed my hand and took me to the side. He pulled something out of his jacket pocket slowly. I was shocked when I saw a pair of gloves, his ignition gloves, when he handed them to me.

"Daddy…" I whispered.

"Wear them all the time when you leave the town…you never know what could go wrong." He whispered in return, hugging me strongly.

I looked over at Rin and his father. Ed was handing him a sort of journal looking thing. I didn't really get what was so important about this book but Rin treated it like it was a diamond. My dad was still hugging me, but Rin was motioning to start moving.

We had to jump on the supply train before it left at noon.

"I'll miss you, Daddy," I whispered to him, burying my head in his chest.

"I'll miss you too, baby girl," he pulled me tighter to his chest. "Say hello to you mother for me."

I smiled and told him, "Of course," before walking over to where Rin stood.

"You ready?" He asked, bumping me with his shoulder playfully.

I nodded, a knot in my stomach growing.

Rin seemed so confident about everything, but I still felt extremely nervous. And I suppose he could tell because he smiled sweetly at me, "Don't worry, everything will be okay."

With that we walked out the door, off on our journey, waving at our reluctant parents with many "I love you's and "take care"'s.

I felt bad about leaving my dad so I had asked Ed to keep an eye on him, make sure he was okay. He had nodded and we left. I'm gonna miss my small town…

* * *

**YAY! The story will officially pick up as of now! **

**{the chapters are getting longer and longer…}**

**Is that a good thing?**

**{yeah! That's a good, no great thing!}**

**Yay! And now… quote time!**

**"_Hearts, you say? You Humans are always so quick to speak of such things. As though you carry your hearts in the very palms of your hands. But this eye of mine perceives all. There is nothing that it overlooks. If this eye cannot see a thing, then it does not exist. That is the assumption under which I have always fought. What is this "heart"? If I tear open that chest of yours, will I see it there? If I smash open that skull of yours, will I see it there?"_**


End file.
